Firewall, VPN, and Proxy Home > Solutions > Firewall, VPN, and Proxy

In today's always-connected Internet world, a firewall is a must. If you network is connected to a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or cable, your systems are at risk of being compromised without adequate protection.

Linux's built-in networking capabilities make it a perfect choice for a simple Internet gateway box or an advanced router handling multiple networks. Access to sensitive data can be locked down while allowing legitimate remote access to other services. Flexibility and security come standard with our Linux firewalls.

More and more people are finding that they requiring access to their internal company data while away from the office. Whether you have a staff of external sales people who need to keep in touch or you simply want to check in from time to time, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the answer.

A VPN lets remote users securely connect to their organization's system using any available Internet connection. Once connected, their remote machine behaves almost as if it was physically plugged into the network at the office, making working on documents & checking email a breeze.

Linux supports a wide variety of VPN technologies including PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, and PPP-Over-SSH. Each has its own distinct advantages and suitable applications. Contact Net Direct for more information.

Organizations are also finding it increasingly more important to control access to the Internet. Some are interested in limited access to offensive sites, while others want to keep track of overall usage. The Squid proxy server and related SquidGuard are great tools for such tasks.

With the Squid proxy, the server fetches the requested information from the Internet and caches commonly-used data accordingly. The addition of SquidGuard allows you to easily define rules on how your users are working on the web. User groups, time-of-day restrictions, and other measures block access where desired. This can be very helpful in eliminating inappropriate websites and banner advertising.